Puma

I

Introduction

Puma, member of the cat family found in North, Central, and South America. The puma is commonly known as the cougar or mountain lion in North America. Puma is the most common name for the animal in South America, although a variety of regional names also exist. The name puma comes from Quechua, an indigenous language of the Andes region of South America. The Quechua-speaking people who founded the Inca Empire in the 15th century built their capital city of Cuzco in the shape of a giant puma.

Pumas are solitary animals that shy away from contact with other pumas and people. They are one of the only large predators that can be legally hunted in North America. The pumas of southern Florida, known as Florida panthers, are protected by law as an endangered species.

II

Habitat and Range

The puma once held the most extensive range of any mammal in the western hemisphere. Prior to European settlement, pumas were found throughout the Americas. They roamed from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, and from the Yukon Territory of present-day Canada to the southernmost tip of South America.

However, intensive hunting mostly eradicated the puma from the eastern part of the North American continent by the early 20th century. In the United States the puma is known to exist east of Texas only in Florida. In Canada the only significant puma populations are in the western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. To the south of the United States, the puma is still found throughout most of its native range, but in greatly reduced numbers.

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Even within their current range, pumas claim the largest geographical area of any wild cat in the world. This is largely because pumas have adapted to many different habitats. They are found at nearly all elevations, from sea level to high in the mountains. Their habitats include the tropical rain forests of equatorial South America; the llanos (vast prairies) of Venezuela; the semiarid scrublands of the southwestern United States; the coniferous (evergreen) forests of the Pacific Northwest; and the Big Cypress Swamp of southwestern Florida. Pumas prefer habitats that provide ample hiding places. They tend to avoid open areas such as agricultural lands and places populated by people.

III

Physical Description

The puma is the second largest cat in the Americas—only the jaguar is larger. Pumas vary considerably in size depending on their location. They are largest at the northern and southern extremes of their range, in Canada and Chile. They are smallest near the equator, in the tropical rain forests of South America.

The largest pumas are more than twice as big as the smallest pumas. An adult male puma in Canada or Chile generally weighs from 65 to 85 kg (from 143 to 187 lb), but an adult male in the tropics of Peru generally weighs only about 30 kg (about 66 lb). Adult females weigh roughly half as much as adult males. The body of an adult male measures up to 1.95 m (up to 6.4 ft) in length, including the head but not the tail. The heavy tail, which extends almost two-thirds of the head and body length, helps the puma maintain its balance. The puma has a lithe, well-muscled body and a long, flexible spine.

Pumas have the body size of the so-called big cats, which include lions and leopards. But like the smaller cats, the puma has a short, wide skull and a short muzzle, and its head is small relative to its body.

Proportionally, the puma’s powerful hind legs are the longest of the cat family. They are thought to be specially adapted for leaping and jumping. Pumas are known for their ability to leap 6 m (20 ft) straight up a cliff or tree.

The puma’s thick coat of fur is plain in color, with shades ranging from bluish gray in the northern regions to reddish brown in the tropics. Pumas living in drier areas tend to be lighter in color. The muzzle, chin, throat, breast, and insides of the legs are whitish.

Newborn kittens have densely spotted fur and light blue eyes. When kittens are 8 months old, their spots have mostly faded and their eyes begin to change color. At 16 months, their eyes are the golden brown of adults.

Pumas have lived to about the age of 20 in captivity, but their life span in the wild tends to be under 10 years. Leading causes of mortality include injuries and sport hunting.

IV

Puma Behavior

Pumas are solitary animals. As a rule, the only pumas living in groups are mothers and their offspring. Adults avoid one another except when males and females meet briefly to mate.

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